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Original poster

school holidays and skiing

34 replies

Wheelybug · 08/04/2009 18:42

Next year is our first year of school holiday restrictions and so considering when to go - what are the pros and cons of:

new year
feb half term
first week of easter (first wk of aprul)

obv ny and easter will be a gamble in terms of snow but are they much quieter than half term ?

OP posts:
stuffitllama · 08/04/2009 18:46

you need to find snowheads
great site for ski questions

fwiw: twice at Val Thorens in Feb. High, icy on the blacks, very icy in the mornings, cold on the lifts, but fab blues, greens and reds. Assumed Easter would be dreadful lower down as it was a bit slushy even then, but there was a huge dump and everyone said Easter was great too. NY with children I would guess too cold for fun?

always had good Easter skiing 15 odd years ago but yknow, global warming and so on.. don't know about now

stuffitllama · 08/04/2009 18:47

Easter's always been busy when we've done it btw

spicemonster · 08/04/2009 18:52

My sister broke her collar bone yesterday in very slushy conditions in Meribel so I'd avoid Easter (although obv it's a moveable feast so it depends when it is). I went last Easter and it was okay at the beginning of the week but really slushy at the end.

Generally snow at NY tends to be okay but it can be very chilly. And if you have littlies hanging around for ski lessons then they might get cold and fed up and that's not much fun for anyone

There's a reason people go at half term sadly!

Original poster
Wheelybug · 08/04/2009 19:01

thanks - hadn't thought about temperature at Christmas. It will be dd1's first proper skiing holiday at 5 so don't want to put her off with it being chilly.

Have just realised that dd2 will only be over 1 for the easter week and she is a fair bit cheaper in the creche over 1. Hmmm... but take point about slush. Sorry to hear about your sister Spicemonster.

OP posts:
LIZS · 08/04/2009 19:01

Check when local holidays are before booking half term - Europeans schools tend to stagger from late January to early March. We've always found Easter (or preferably just before ) quieter and in recent years have had great fresh snow conditions.

Original poster
Wheelybug · 08/04/2009 19:02

Thanks Liz - yes two of the french regions will clash with half term (and I think all UK schools have teh same half term next year as well) whereas only 1 region clashes with easter.

OP posts:
stuffitllama · 08/04/2009 19:02

you could go higher at Easter

eg vt is at 3000

Original poster
Wheelybug · 08/04/2009 19:04

Thats something to think about Llama - we wanted to go with skibeat who we've used before and to La Rosiere as we know the creche is new/roomy/just downstairs and it would be a good resort for dd1's first proper ski. But its not high... hmmm. I'm not sure any of the skibeat resorts are particularly high.

OP posts:
stuffitllama · 08/04/2009 19:06

hmm where did we stay
think, think

it was an aparthotel, can't remember the name

anyhow, the lower and nursery slopes at VT are super and the ski school is ok too (too many kids at ESF tho)

stuffitllama · 08/04/2009 19:08

slight problem is that there is a speedy run onto the lowest slopes down to the lift to go up again which is where you could find yourself with your 5yo ..and the snowboards speed through

anyway good luck, gtg x go to snowheads.. they'll help

newgirl · 08/04/2009 19:10

easter is warmer so i would recommend for young children as they dont get so cold waiting around for lifts etc

but you have to pick an excellent resort - very high, pref with a glacier

avoid the lower runs into the villages as they will be slush. Stay higher up and then get lifts back down to villages.

Original poster
Wheelybug · 08/04/2009 19:17

thanks all - will dscuss with dh who doesn't want to go in school hols so i have pointed out that means not going for the next 18 years !

OP posts:
piscesmoon · 08/04/2009 19:27

Easter is better for the weather but I agree with newgirl-go higher. We went to Obergurgl one year and had excellent snow but the season was over at the lower resorts like Kitzbuhel and the snow had gone. New Year can be cold -once I had it at -25 and children were crying at the cold. Half term is safest for snow, but expensive.

fourkids · 08/04/2009 21:33

la ros is reasonably high. not high enough for assured skiing right at the beginning or end of the season, but ok reasonably early or late. Ought to be fab for feb half term...

happywomble · 08/04/2009 21:49

We had a great week at La Rosiere at New Year. It was very cold but we all wore balaclavas and soon adjusted to the cold temperature. The snow cover was good in La Rosiere and very good in La Thuile. Both DCs (6 & 3) had a great time.

The only drawback was the very high cost of the holiday. I think prices are slightly cheaper if you go for either Christmas week or at the end of the season in April. New Year and feb half term tend to be the most popular and expensive weeks.

mummydoc · 09/04/2009 09:11

we are just back from claviere march 29th to april 5ht , snow was great, all runs open , had massive dump mid week, by ssat after 2 dasy of sun it was slushy ish at the end of the day but not that bad. would highly reccommend easter skiing, always did as a child . last week was my dd2 first ski trip and she loved it! even peeled off top half of all in one as too warm one day !

Nettee · 09/04/2009 09:14

we went to Courchevel 1850 for the first weeks of Easter school holidays last year. It was very quiet on the slopes and the snow was fine at that height - not so good skiing down to the lower villages. The guys out for the season said that feb half term had been the only week when there were any queues for the lifts.

Original poster
Wheelybug · 09/04/2009 16:10

Thanks everyone - seriously think Easter might be the one to consider. Not least because its about £600 cheaper !

Am going to research historic snow reports, if such a thing exists, to see what different resorts are like.

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newgirl · 09/04/2009 16:19

one easy place to do your research is mark warner site as all their resorts are high - so any of those would be a good bet - i think over 2500 feet?

if you can bunk off in the week after easter holidays you can get some great bargains

stringbean · 09/04/2009 20:43

We usually go at Easter, as it avoids the high prices and crowded slopes of NY and half term. However, we always go to Tignes, where the snow is pretty much guaranteed. True, it's always better in the morning, and gets a bit soft in the afternoon, but there's a glacier there where the conditions are great all day (provided it's not windy). Last year we had fabulous snow and knee deep powder at the beginning of April, so the conditions can be great. Beware of strong sun though - glasses and sunblock are a must! Bear in mind that La Rosiere has a lot of south facing slopes, so will lose the snow more quickly. If you're looking at a lower resort, try and go for something north-facing.

Original poster
Wheelybug · 10/04/2009 10:28

Thanks Newgirl and stringbean.

New girl - if we were to bunk off we'd go in March but its dd's first year at school so we're not sure we want to risk booking a holiday in term time before she's started.

stringbean - thanks for info. Would be happy to go to a high resort. our main issue is dd2 who ewill be just 1 so a good creche is vital and we have experience of skibeat creche in la ros hence the choice. Will have a look around.

None of these resorts are high are they ?

La Plagne
La Tania
les Arcs

As they are the other skibeat resorts although we don't really want la plagne as we've used the creche there and it wasn't ideal.

OP posts:
TheRealMrsJohnSimm · 10/04/2009 14:58

Belle Plagne (2300m) is higher than La Plagne itself but is still within the Paradiski area so you get access to great slopes with your pass (including over to Les Arcs). We took our DS's aged 8 and 4 there for skiing in Feb and we loved it. The whole area is awash with blue slopes which means that family skiing is really possible - even with little ones.

Can recommend Hotel Des Deux Domaines with Esprit in Belle Plagne. They have onsite creche, spa, pool etc. And its ski-in/out. It is a lovely place for a relaxing ski trip with children, imo.

FWIW, we always take DS's out of school for ski trips. IMO they get so much out of it in terms of confidence and experience that its worth missing a week of their education (they are both in primary school). I also resent having to pay ridiculously inflated prices for school holiday trips. We booked "last minute" with Esprit this year and got our holiday for just under £2K less than brochure price. So its worth hanging on if you can.

Original poster
Wheelybug · 10/04/2009 17:04

Thanks MrsJS - We love Laplagne as a ski resort, it was only that we usually go with skibeat and their creche isn 't great -small and in an out of the way chalet. ALso the chalets are in Plagne 1800 too so even lower than PLagne Centre. So thanks for the esprit recommendation - will look into it.

I totally agree that a week's skiing is as good as (whispers - if not better) than a week in school esp as DD will only be in reception and will have only just started doing full days. A friend who has children already at the school does take them out but the school have started making a real fuss but maybe we just leave it and hope to get a last minute deal.... decisions decisions...

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CaurnieBred · 10/04/2009 17:25

We stayed with Ski Beat in Plan Peisey last April. It was getting a bit slushy on the lower runs, but the upper runs were all fine. Creche was great. Main downside was the Club PiouPiou area (ESF nursery slopes) - it was a slushy mud pit.

We went to La Tania this year in March (styed with Le Ski this time), but saw the Ski Beat nannies around the resort with the kiddies who all looked fine. Have a look at latania.co.uk for the weekly video snow/resort report: the nursery area is right behind where he stands and there is loads of snow there! (We chose to go with Le Ski as we had friends who had gone with them the year before, and the chalet was closer to the slopes than the Ski Beat chalets, plus they gave a larger child discount).

Kiwinyc · 11/04/2009 22:39

New Year and Feb half-term are unbelieveably expensive! Its very tempting to ask for permission to miss the first week of Jan when they go back to school as prices drop drastically and the slopes are deserted. My DD is in yr 1 this yr and I'm convinced it wouldn't have mattered a jot to have done that, or to have taken a week off before or after the Feb half-term. We went at Xmas - also not cheap, but we consoled ourselves that it was cheaper than New Year and in Feb. Depending on where you choose, it wasn't cold at all, with great snow but everywhere in the Alps had fab snow this season.

Easter is also tempting - agree that you probably need to go higher for best conditions. I would hang on for last min deals for easter, I noticed some great savings with Esprit and Ski2 this yr.